Rockville Sail & Power Squadron Receives AED

October 6, 2015

Front: Squadron Medical Officer Jeff McKinney, RN and HeartSine’s Marketing Program Manager Sal Nissan joined with members and family of the Rockville Sail and Power Squadron.

The Rockville Sail & Power Squadron, a unit of the United States Power Squadrons® (USPS), is the recipient of a HeartSine samaritan® PAD (SAM 350) Automated External Defibrillator (AED) donated by HeartSine Technologies.

As an USPS squadron that has established and committed to set up a First Aid Support Team (FAST) program, the Rockville Sail & Power Squadron was eligible to receive the heart guarding device.

FAST volunteers provide immediate and potentially lifesaving care to their squadron and district members, or anyone nearby in need of medical assistance. All FAST members are trained and certified in First Aid, CPR, and use of an AED.

The AED was awarded to the Rockville Sail & Power Squadron after a double blind drawing held by USPS’s Chairman of National Safety Committee and National Executive Officer.

The SAM 350P AED, a device that analyzes the heart rhythm and can deliver an electrical shock to victims of SCA in order to restore the heart to normal rhythm, will guard the squadron’s employees, members, and anyone nearby in the event of a SCA, a life-threatening condition in which the heart stops beating without warning.

The United States Power Squadrons® is the world’s largest recreational boating organization with more than 35,000 members. For more than 100 years, the USPS has worked to make the water a safer place through boating education, civic service and fellowship.

HeartSine Technologies, a world leader in personal and public access defibrillators, advances the deployment of lifesaving defibrillation therapy for the treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in non-traditional areas of care. Designed for use in public areas, the company’s entire line of AED products leverages its proprietary, SCOPE™ technology to optimize the administration of lifesaving treatment.

“With the vast majority of Sudden Cardiac Arrest incidents taking place outside of the healthcare setting, it is crucial to place AEDs in all public places,” says Stephen Garrett, HeartSine’s Vice President of Sales for the Americas. “We’re delighted to see the Rockville Sail & Power Squadron implementing the FAST program to be able to provide care to SCA victims on boats and beaches, where access to emergency care is typically a challenge.”

The AED was presented on September 12, 2015 at a squadron event in Annapolis, MD to Squadron Commander Steve Permison, MD and Squadron Medical Officer Jeff McKinney, RN.